Before you upload your first list, consider the following:
Unique Identifiers
Every database-driven system has a way to enforce uniqueness to avoid duplicate records. Real Magnet offers two options to ensure that your database records remain unique.
- Email address - The default setting; it sets recipient email addresses as the unique ID.
- Custom ID (custom member ID) - If this option is used, the management of database records (and avoiding duplicates) is the responsibility of the user/client. Therefore, this option is recommended only if there is an accompanying Association Management System (AMS) and recipients are not added to Real Magnet if they don't exist in that AMS.
Custom ID as Unique Identifier
When Custom ID is selected, the Unique ID associated with your AMS will be the unique identifier in Real Magnet.
Implications
- Every record uploaded to Real Magnet must contain a Unique ID
- Duplicate email addresses can exist
- Real Magnet does not validate Custom IDs that are uploaded to the Real Magnet system
- Data management is completed by you / your organization; data should be closely managed in the database of record
Email address as Unique ID Identifier
When this default option is enabled, Real Magnet will create only one record per email address. For every record uploaded to Real Magnet that contains a Custom ID and an email address, Real Magnet will create a unique record based on the email address.
NOTE: This method prevents the possibility of duplicate email addresses.
Implications
- Recipients have one email address only in the system and will not be sent duplicate messages
- Email addresses cannot be overwritten